Oracle Buying Opower For $532 Million – Here’s Why This Deal Is Good For Both Companies

By Joe Nichols | May 04, 2016 09:56 AM EDT

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Opower, an Arlington-based energy analytics firm announced on Monday that it has agreed to a $532 million deal that will enable Oracle, the computer giant to acquire the company.

The sales deal is scheduled to be finalized later this year. It valued the shares of the analytics company at a 30 percent premium at the close of trading on Friday.

"Big day today at the O: opower.com/oracle/ POW!!!!!!!" Daniel Yates, chief executive of the company tweeted hours after the deal was disclosed.

The energy analytics company track energy-use trends across many millions of homes and then sells this information to interested buyers. Over 100 utility companies, including Exelon and PG&E use Opower's services to enable them to meet state-by-state energy efficiency standards.

In 2015, the company reported an almost $45 million operating loss, and an annual revenue of $145.7 million. It was established in 2007 and went public in 2014.

Company employees were surprised Monday morning when it was announced that Oracle is planning to buy the utility software of the company for $532 million. The cloud-computing giant said that it is buying the energy data analytics company for $10.30 per share.

This amount is less than half of the company's $23 price per share in April 2014. Most of the employees learned of the news from early media reports and a company press release.

The deal is a win-win situation for both companies.

Oracle rakes in almost $40 billion in annual revenue. Being one of the top CIS providers, it has a deep base of utility customers which can be leveraged by Opower for its call center service, digital engagement software and billing management. Opower's sales channels can also be strengthened through this deal.

Meanwhile, Oracle is trying to diversify its offerings beyond core enterprise systems without so much success. Opower's inclusion will help the company in this regard. In addition, Opower will bring in many of the top-tier utility customers which are about 60 million end users.

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